This is your story, and someone else's story, and the story of a certain journey.
Now, Chaldea, having started from the burning Fuyuki, was about to reach the Seventh Singularity: Babylonia.
But long before Chaldea's arrival, the story of this Singularity—of Babylonia and its people, gods, and demonic beasts—had already begun.
Uruk, the oldest kingdom in the Type-Moon world, was ruled by the Oldest King himself: Gilgamesh.
"Merlin, you're too long-winded! If we're seeking their help, then I, the King, should summon them personally!"
"But, Your Majesty, they..."
"It matters not. They merely killed this King once in Fuyuki City. This King is far from petty."
His golden hair shone brightly, his upper body bare save for a small shoulder guard for modesty. But this Wise King, who had returned from the Underworld to find Uruk in great peril, cared little for his attire.
In his own words, as a king, every inch of his skin was flawless, with nothing to be ashamed of.
If not for his subjects' discomfort—they wouldn't know where to look—he would have saved this time and used it on the ever-growing, seemingly endless mountain of official duties.
As a king, he loved Uruk and its people. He would never allow his kingdom and its citizens to be devoured by man-eating demonic beasts.
For this, he held fast, awaiting the arrival of Chaldea, the key to breaking the stalemate. For the sake of Uruk's people, he was even willing to seek help from Guinevere and the King of Knights.
Undoubtedly, he possessed memories of the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City.
With just a few words, he dismissed Merlin's idea of letting the mage handle the summoning. He only instructed Merlin to prepare the mages and the Holy Relic, then began the Servant summoning ritual once more.
Without Command Spells, without any restraints on the summoned Servants, the King of Heroes still believed the two who answered the summons would offer their help, even if their attitude toward him was unlikely to be favorable.
A flash of light, a turbulent wind, and Lady Siduri entering the throne room with a new clay tablet of official business.
Veiled in light gauze and clad in green, with one shoulder and arm exposed, she stepped into the hall just in time to see two beautiful women—one with ash-white hair, the other with golden—materializing within the magic circle. The ash-white-haired woman then kicked Merlin, sending ripples of flower petals through the air.
"Merlin, you really are a bastard! How dare you give my and Lia's contract to this Goldie... wait, he's not Goldie now!"
Before answering the summons, Guinevere had assumed Merlin was the one summoning them again. But upon manifesting, the mana flowing into her clearly told her they were now the King of Heroes' Servants.
[True Name: Guinevere Pendragon & Artoria Pendragon.]
[Class: Saber (Grand Saint Graph)]
[Region: Camelot]
[Alignment: Lawful Good]
[Identity: Queen of the King of Knights & King of Knights]
[Base Stats:]
[Guinevere: Strength B, Endurance B, Agility B, Mana B, Luck A+, Noble Phantasm EX.]
[Artoria: Strength A, Endurance A, Agility A, Mana A, Luck A, Noble Phantasm EX.]
[Class Skills:]
[Guinevere & Artoria: Magic Resistance: A, Riding: A.]
[Personal Skills:]
[Guinevere: Mastery of the Blade A+, Hero Creation B, Wise Queen A+ (Only affects Artoria, greatly boosts her base stats).]
[Artoria: Instinct A, Mana Burst A, Charisma A++ (When sharing a Class with Guinevere, Guinevere's Charisma stacks with Artoria's).]
[Noble Phantasms:]
[Guinevere:]
[Sword of Destined Judgment A++ (Evolving)]
[Dragon Heart of Albion EX (Endless Mana. If released, she can briefly transform into the Last Dragon, resulting in Instant Death afterward. A product of the Albion Spirit Tomb, refined and gifted by Morgan).]
[Artoria:]
[Sword of Promised Victory A++ (Can be released from its restraints to manifest as the Holy Sword of the Planet).]
[The Everdistant Utopia EX (Scabbard of the Holy Sword, the world's strongest defensive Noble Phantasm, ignoring all physical interference, parallel world interference, etc.).]
[Dual Noble Phantasm:]
[The Birds That Fly as One EX (Currently unsealable. Under normal conditions, they share Mana and eternally confirm each other's location. If not killed together within 1500 seconds, the slain one will manifest beside the survivor. Note: Ineffective against death from lifespan exhaustion.)]
"Anyway, King of Heroes, we've arrived. Our victory in this war is now certain."
She had intended to act a little difficult, but the King of Heroes' astonished expression stopped her. After taking a second to understand their current stats, Guinevere abandoned the idea of causing trouble.
Undoubtedly, their stats were incredibly strong. This was partly due to the King of Heroes being their Master, and partly because they shared a Grand Saint Graph, preventing them from being weakened as they would have been with a standard Saint Graph.
Looking at their Noble Phantasms, Guinevere was surprised by the Dragon Heart, while the King of Knights was equally surprised that Guinevere possessed the Scabbard. As for the Dual Noble Phantasm, they both found it completely natural.
In fact, they were more surprised that they still had individual Noble Phantasms.
"Um, Guinevere, although it looks the same, you don't actually share a single Throne of Heroes. Your Thrones are linked, which is why you both have individual Noble Phantasms. It's also possible you could be summoned separately in the future."
Before the question was even spoken, Merlin had already seen through it, as he had long known what Guinevere wanted to ask.
After waiting for the questions about themselves to conclude, the King of Knights ignored the King of Heroes and bowed to Merlin in the manner of a disciple...
The King of Heroes didn't bother with any displays of dominance; he simply tossed a clay tablet directly at Guinevere.
"Such confidence. I wonder if it stems from seeing the future or the reckless courage of the ignorant. Regardless, since you're here, get to work.
King of Knights, Queen Guinevere, Merlin has other duties. I need you to escort a supply shipment to the Northern Wall. Afterward, you are free to act as you wish until Chaldea's party arrives.
Siduri, go prepare their identification documents and find someone to accompany them."
They frowned slightly, especially after seeing a pile of stone tablets stacked before the King of Heroes. Having just rewatched Absolute Demonic Front, they knew he truly had no time for pleasantries.
They both knew this Wise King was different from the Gil they had met in Fuyuki; he was a wise ruler who could work himself to death for his kingdom.
This alone was enough to make Guinevere and the King of Knights more tolerant of him.
Nodding, Guinevere stopped worrying about etiquette; if the King of Heroes was in such a hurry, he must have his reasons.
Moreover, in the known plot, the Northern Wall they were heading to was already in a precarious state, constantly facing attacks from terrifying demonic beasts like Chimeras.
Its survival depended entirely on the Servants the King of Heroes had previously summoned and the endless Noble Phantasms from his Gate of Babylon.
"Lia, let's go. And Miss Siduri, we've heard so much about you."
"Ah?"
The veiled, green-robed Miss Siduri gasped in surprise, flustered and unsure how to react.
"Queen Guinevere, are you flirting with another woman right in front of your King?"
The King of Heroes, it seemed, was quite protective of his own.